Mais ne vous appartiennent à moi?
by Dracone
Summary: Sequel to Je Fais Partis de Vous. Light and L's life seems to be running smoothly now, but everything may not be as it appears. When faces from the past return things may be about to change... Light x L
1. Chapter 1

A/N; The Sequel to Je Fais Partis de Vous.

IMPORTANT; Je fais partis de vous MUST be read before this.

Well I couldn't resist, you all liked Je Fais, so I had to do something more. I had always known this happened after where I left off in the oneshot. Now I simply share it with you.

Please read and review!

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Mais ne vous appartiennent à moi?

Chapter one

Light found L where he usually did on these warm summer's evenings, out in the garden with his jeans and hands covered in soil, his face shaded by a white straw sunhat, as he tended to the flower beds. A small smile played across L's features as he listened to a programme on the radio at his side, his hands still moving through the bed before him pulling out the weeds. Light stood and watched L for the briefest of moments, smiling as he saw the intent way L was working, he seemed enthralled by his task, and Light knew if he asked, that L would know the Latin names of every plant that surrounded him and the conditions each one needed. The once great detective had turned his mind to other tasks, and seemed genuinely happy in his life here, a happiness Light found himself unwilling to destroy.

It had been a good two years for the both of them, Light now had a nearly unshakable power base with every world government reporting to him when necessary. He even had a house in Geneva of all places where he could attend the UN summits, and by sheer force of the power he had over people had begun to force certain world governments to behave. Surprisingly they did, bowing down to his power and listening to his suggestions; but then Light knew he was supported by a world class team of diplomats and lawyers, easing his way into the upper echelons of world power.

Nothing though could compare to the time he spent with L, he had never truly believed L's promise about not trying to escape or work against him. Yet every day seemed to prove him wrong as L did nothing at all that could be taken as rebellion or revolt against the rules he had to obey. Light had asked him about this only once and had been surprised by the look of genuine shock and hurt that had passed over L's face, he had quickly soothed away L's sudden bout of sadness and had vowed to himself never to bring it up again. He knew that somewhere inside L the detective still resided, but it seemed the great man himself had buried it in favour of his life here with Light. Light wasn't about to begin digging around for answers, he might end up with more than he bargained for.

Light chuckled as L rose up from his knees and wiped at his brow with his hand, smearing soil onto his forehead in a large black streak below the hat. He knew that L was, well had been, as meticulous in his cleaning habits as he was himself; but the dark haired man seemed to make an exception with soil. He raised a hand in greeting then as L's head turned in his direction, he must have heard his laughter.

L smiled as he saw Light, a hand waving, mimicking Light's greeting. The gesture was only marred by the weeding knife he was holding. L realised what he was waving as he saw Light's slightly pained expression; with an almost sheepish expression L dropped the knife to the ground. He knew anyone would feel a little out of sorts to see someone waving a knife at them, and with their history it must affect Light even more, but then L had never needed a weapon to harm Light. The scars on Light's hand attested to that.

Light had reached L before the knife had even impaled itself in the dirt at L's feet, his gentle kisses of greeting removing any worry in L's mind over Light's reaction to the knife. L's hands tensing as he resisted the urge to embrace Light, ever conscious of the sheer amount of soil present on his hands.

"Good evening Lawliet," Light whispered in L's ear as he finally broke the series of kisses he had been laying on L's lips. He smiled at the customary barely hidden shudder the use of his name elicited from L, since his release L had gone from hating Light saying it, to revelling in the sound of his name falling from Light's lips.

"You're late," L replied, raising a grubby finger and poking Light in the chest, leaving a neat black circle on Light's white shirt; he couldn't resist it, the programme he had been listening to he usually listened to with Light. They always took advantage of everything they had in common, the comedy programme was precisely that.

"I had a meeting," Light not minding in the least that his shirt was dirtied, then his humour vanished as he remembered the contents of the meeting. It seemed his power base was not as secure as he had thought it was.

"Light," L asked, his own smile fading, "What's wrong?"

Light's mood darkened further, L was always so good at judging his moods nowadays; sometimes it was a good thing, but tonight it wasn't. Light paused in his reply, his mind turning over the potential difficulties of telling L what he knew as he crouched down to investigate the flowers that had just begun to bloom, a hand reaching out to caress the soft petals before him. He knew if he told L that he would be breaking their agreement, the one verbal contract they had formed which kept their relationship together, and this would definitely hit L hard and test his want to stay uninvolved with world events. But he knew he had to tell him, to not do so would probably cause more damage in the long term… probably.

He had hoped to leave this until later, but he should have realised he would not be able to face L and not think of the meeting. Light sighed, he didn't want to do this, but he knew he needed the information, and knew L needed to know. He straightened up, L still stood immobile next to him, hunched over slightly as his worried face looked at Light.

"L," Light murmured, his tone serious as he looked at L grimly, "What is Wammy's House?"

To Light's surprise L jerked completely upright before collapsing back onto the ground; his shaking knees rising up to his chest, Light hadn't seen him adopt this position since his release from the cell. This just made him even more worried, especially as L's fingers dug into his jeans so hard the tanned skin went white. He crouched down next to the stricken man, wondering whether his help would be accepted or not. He had the sinking feeling that he had dropped a larger bombshell than he had anticipated. He almost felt like swearing.

"What happens if I don't answer?" L said suddenly, his face still hidden from Light's view, but he could hear the discomfort in L's tone. Light sighed and reached out with a gloved hand to turn L's head towards him, he hadn't expected _that_ question. He was even more surprised by the undisguised worry in L's face, but then L had been locked away for over 8 years; it was only to be expected that he would be worried about what Light would do.

"Nothing L," Light said with as reassuring a smile as he could manage, "I would appreciate information, it would certainly increase my chances of finding who I am after. You obviously know something about this, and I think I know what it might be. But I promise you I won't do anything to you if you don't answer. You know I always keep my promises L."

L stared at Light in silence for many minutes, both frozen in place. Then L's legs finally straightened out and he turned away from Light and with sudden force pulled a flower that was beginning to wilt from the plant next to him.

"Wammy's house," L whispered, his fingers playing over the flower before deftly shedding it of its petals, "that's a name I had never expected to hear again. Its purpose was simple Light, it was to produce heirs to replace me was I to die or become unable to continue my work… I had assumed you had already found them or no-one was able to replace me. It had been so long and you have all this."

L gestured with an arm at the surrounding area.

"No," Light murmured, "no _one_ was able to replace you."

"How many?" L sighed, waiting for the evening to get that little bit worse.

"Four," Light replied, rising back up to his full height. "We _think_ anyway. Mikami has only been able to find out that much from his sources."

"Do…," L began then paused, he knew if he continued on asking questions he would then be placing himself in an impossible situation. He wanted to stay with Light be he also wanted to continue to serve justice in anyway he had available. Aiding Light would not be doing that, but Light won over everything. Of course he did, he had won against L the detective ten years ago, and had won L completely on the day L had finally left that cell. "Do you know any of their names?"

"If I did," Light sighed, "we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Light saw L flinch and he sighed. L really didn't seem to be trusting him at all, he knew L had no way of knowing just what Light would be capable of now, and whether he truly trusted L in return. But L still flinching at this stage was disheartening.

"I am not about to kill them out of hand," Light sighed, "they haven't done anything wrong, but if I had the names they could be more easily apprehended. You don't have to tell me though…" Light held out a hand to L, "Let's go back to the house. I am sorry I brought this up, I just didn't want you to find out in the future and think I had purposefully not told you."

Light smiled as L hesitantly reached out then took the hand, before gripping it more tightly, a sudden smile appeared on L's face. For a moment Light couldn't fathom why, then he realised, he now hand an excessively soiled hand, the hesitance had had nothing to do with touching Light per se. With a sigh he pulled L up, and then groaned as L's hands rose to place two neat soil imprints of hands on his shirt. L always alleviated his stress by teasing him, L needed he could at least fight back in a little way at least. He didn't even think L knew he was doing it.

Then L stilled before him and the small smile faded.

"I need time to think," L said softly, "I can't I-"

L stilled as Light's hand covered his mouth.

"Take as long as you wish," Light said smiling, he wished L would tell him straight away, but he knew Wammy's must have been close to L's heart; and Light didn't want L to break. Broken he wouldn't be L anymore. He wasn't surprised L was finding thought difficult either, Light had ensured L didn't have to think overly anymore. "Now we need to head back, else we will have a rather flustered Mikami come searching for us, and despite how much I enjoy seeing my aide ruffled I am rather hungry and would prefer to eat without him glaring at us."

"He's rather good at that," L murmured, letting Light lead him back towards the house, his gardening equipment would be safe he knew. "I still don't think he likes me in any way at all."

"It's because he can't classify you," Light laughed, "you don't fit neatly into his vision of the world, and that annoys him."

"Oh," L said with a smile, "good."

Behind his smiles L's mind was a whirl of activity as it began to gear up once more. He had thought Wammy's long destroyed or defunct, so to hear that there were still remaining students who would fight against Kira, against Light. L was afraid, and he wasn't sure whether for the students, or for Light. It seemed his time of being happy had ended.

One thing was certain though L now had to pick his side.

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A/N; And so we begin...

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	2. Chapter 2

A/N; Ah, so you did want a sequel then, good. I am so very happy you did.

Please read and review.

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Chapter 2

L smiled at Mikami's retreating back, he so liked to wind the lawyer up. He knew quite well that the man hated him, for not supporting Light outright as Kira and for taking a position in Light's affections that he so obviously wanted for himself, and for making his 'god' speak to him coldly.

L could remember the conflict well; it had happened two weeks after his release from confinement. Though it must have been building for days, probably from the time he had first met Mikami, he hadn't exactly been polite towards the lawyer… but then he had been fuming at Light for allowing an introduction to occur while he was still in bed, still _naked_ in bed. It wasn't exactly the most conducive environment to being polite, he hadn't felt he could pull the sheets close enough while Light had just smiled at him as he had talked to an obviously out of sorts Mikami.

When Mikami had confronted Light it was the only time he had heard the lawyer fight against Light's decisions. L had sat hunched up on a chair listening to Mikami's tirade about him, a torrent of words that was quite a shock after such a long time in the silence of his room, and for a time he had thought Light was going to agree with Mikami he had sat listening so quietly and so apparently calmly. L had never felt so sick in his life, if Light agreed with Mikami he would be back in the cell. Then Light had spoken, and L had the briefest glimpse of what Kira had become underneath all the affability he showed around L, that and a sudden surge of absolute happiness and shock.

The sudden sound of Light's voice had stemmed the flow of words from Mikami immediately, and Light's gaze had become dark as he stared at Mikami, in a way that suggested Mikami was worse than something he had found on the bottom of his shoe. He had not argued back at Mikami, merely given him a simple choice, accept that L was going to be a permanent feature from now on, or quit. Mikami had looked as if he had wanted the ground to open up under him, and for a slight second L had actually felt sorry for him, because not many people could withstand the usual stare from Light… but this was much worse.

Of course from that moment on Mikami had said nothing about L's presence, but his anger at L had abated and settled into a continuous low level feeling of annoyance. All L's doing and how L enjoyed doing so. He knew it was childish, extremely so with some of the pranks he pulled on the poor man, but he couldn't help it. Every time Light saw evidence of a prank L had committed on Mikami, or heard any of L's snarky and rather asinine comments at Mikami, he _ignored _them. It was the best sign L had that Light truly wanted him around, and wasn't going to force any issue with him; of course L did his little jibes and pranks so subtly that Light might not even have noticed.

With a small frown L turned back to his meal, his frown increasing as he remembered Light's words to him. That was the real reason he was goading Mikami tonight, he needed some reassurance of his position here, he had spent too long coasting along, barely thinking at his standards. He had almost been able to imagine that the world outside this house didn't exist, it was why he spent so long gardening, his mind needed some form of release.

Now though Light had brought that crashing back down onto him in perhaps the most brutal way imaginable. He didn't want to have to deal with this but he knew he must. He had to reawaken the detective in himself, he needed his full capacities for this. He couldn't live life as though he had cotton wool in his brain with this to deal with, and he wasn't about to decide what to do about this without his full capacities. He could already sense that this all rested on a knife edge.

He ate his meal almost automatically barely noticing any of the riot of flavours he usually savoured. He could feel Light watching him closely as he did this, the worry in Light's gaze was almost palpable, and very comforting. He knew that Light was worrying about _him_ not his decision.

That evening was a blur to L as well, lost in his thoughts and unwilling to drop his indecision. Then it seemed Light's ability to stay away and let him deal with it broke as they lay in bed that night, the dark of the night shrouding them as well as the sheets. A hand suddenly came close and cupped his cheek before turning his head towards Light.

"I'm sorry," Light whispered, "I shouldn't have told you, I should have just left you in the dark. This is obviously hurting you. I didn't want that."

"No Light," L said much more calmly than he felt, "I _needed_ to know, you know that and I know that. I would not have reacted well to the knowledge you had kept this from me. I just need some time to think, I've told you this."

"I don't want to give you that time if it's going to hurt you," Light sighed.

"Does anyone else see this side of you Light?" L asked, shifting closer to Light at last, and Light smiled, it was good to see L letting down those so annoying barriers that had risen this evening. He pulled L closer, and his smile broadened as L leaned into him, it gave him heart that L wanted his company in whatever problem his brain was dealing with at last.

"No Lawliet," Light laughed, echoing slightly in the large room, "Only you."

"Oh good," L murmured, and he felt Light stiffen in shock slightly as L's arms suddenly encircled him in return, then Light relaxed and gradually L fell into a deep, if perhaps not restful, slumber.

…

In the morning L gave every appearance of having at last come to a decision, or of letting the matter drop at last. He was all smiles towards Light and seemed happy enough as he ate his breakfast, sat out on the small raised terrace outside the bedroom, staring out across the garden occasionally.

"I will have an answer for you this evening Light," L said suddenly, and for a second his face had the same deep in thought look it had held last almost a decade ago. The sudden reappearance of that look shocked Light deeply, it seemed he hadn't avoided waking the detective up, in part at least.

"That's good," Light said, smiling back at L in genuine relief, "Do you-"

There was a sudden quiet cough from nearby, and Light frowned slightly before turning to look at Mikami.

"Sir," Mikami said hesitantly, "the meeting _you_ scheduled is about to begin in five minutes…"

"You go on ahead," Light said calmly, his winning smile appearing on his face.

L couldn't help chuckling at the sudden eye roll from Mikami, and then nearly choked as Mikami gave _him_ a pleading look as he left. It seemed things weren't as strained between them as they thought.

Light waited until Mikami had left before speaking again, the over-worked man disappearing down one of the many garden paths, they were often the quickest way to travel between certain rooms in the large mansion.

"Do you need anything L?" Light asked, "Any supplies?"

"You ask me that every day," L laughed, then he sighed as Light continued to stare at him expectantly, "_no_, Light, but I'll tell you when I do. Now I think you better go to your meeting before you give Mikami an aneurism."

"You're not the only one who likes to goad him," Light said in reply, rising at last to attend his meeting.

"I thought you liked your most loyal of followers."

"I do, but he is so predictable, he _never_ does anything different. He has no idea what spontaneity is."

L couldn't help laughing at Light's despondent tone, or resist doing shooing motions with his hands. He knew Light was going to continue his role as Kira, but somehow… well L didn't know what the somehow was. Perhaps it was because this was Light and L was irrevocably biased now.

The laughter faded as he turned back to his plan. Abandoning the breakfast dishes on the table L wandered back into the large room he knew so well and inspected the TV remote, his mind absently wondering whether he should or not. Of all the TV's in the world most likely to be hideously biased in information, this was going to be the one. It was a good place to start though, and he needed to know as much as possible about what was going on without resorting to Light.

It was time to become the detective again.

For a moment it seemed that nothing was changing in him, the stance remained the same and the eyes remained fixed on the remote. Then slowly those eyes began to dull as if all the emotion was being leached from them, it wasn't really leaving though merely being hidden by extremely effective mental barriers against the world. Suddenly the fingers tensed for a second and the arm relaxed down to the side of the man's frame, the remote suddenly dropping further to be held only with finger and thumb, as if in yet another way the mind inside the man was distancing itself from the world further.

"Two years," L murmured, his voice suddenly much quieter than it's most recent form, and slower as though every word was being weighed again, "I had thought it would have taken more time, I was given more time than I thought. This was not a reason I had calculated though…"

There was no sigh of despondency as L curled up on the sofa, his legs held close to his chest, no grimace of annoyance as he turned on the TV, but inside the pain was growing. He had known his happiness would end, but to have reached that point now was too much to bear. His _not hate_, L laughed internally at that, he shouldn't dance around the issue he knew… His love for Light had grown in those two years made the knowledge of a threat against Light, a substantial threat at that, distinctly unsettling. Yet he wanted to support those he knew from Wammy's, he knew quite well who the four would be and he didn't want them to be hurt either.

His gaze sharpened on the TV as he flicked through the news channels, drinking in the reports for over two hours, and reacquainting himself with the world view. He was stunned, there was always some news fixing by governments he knew, but Light would never have done this much. The UN was still intact, as was the EU, and their legislation was still in effect… from what he heard anyway.

L knew he needed more information than this.

Jerkily L rose from the sofa, carefully unfolding his legs surprised at how stiff they felt now he didn't sit like this; well hadn't sat like this for a long time. Placing down the remote he headed for the door out into the rest of the mansion. He rarely went into the main body of the place without Light, he was allowed to… he doubted Light would stop him going anywhere he wanted, but he didn't like the sheer number of people that often bustled in the corridors. He had to deal with it though, he had more important things to worry about.

He found a computer easily enough and with his mind finally working as it used to, hacked into it. He couldn't get in too deep, the more classified the information the more likely he was to be noticed and he knew Light wouldn't be stingy on his security. What he found out was enough.

He knew what he was going to do.

…

Light frowned as he looked at the security video Mikami had handed him. It showed L very clearly hacking into a computer in a position Light knew all too well and all it signified.

"Your report doesn't say what he accessed," Light murmured, his eyes fixed on the sight of L very much acting like L the detective. A knot of tension coursed through Light and he couldn't stop his hand bearing L's teeth marks from twitching slightly.

Light inclined his head as another sheet of paper joined those before him, his eyes scanned down the list and his eyebrows rose in surprise. This wasn't the list he had been inspecting.

"Leave this with me Mikami," Light said calmly, "and let me make this clear, _no one _is to know about this."

"I understand sir," Mikami replied, a finger rising to push his glasses back into place, "he might annoy me, but…"

"But?" Light pressed.

"I don't think he is a threat, he has had two years."

"Things have changed recently," Light sighed, rising from his desk. He went in search of L. "My work can wait, this needs dealing with now. Thank you for stopping the guards from going after him when he did this."

"It didn't seem prudent."

…

L forced himself not to flinch as Light suddenly burst into the room, it was many hours earlier than Light usually arrived back and there could only be one reason. When the folder Light was carrying was tossed onto the table before him images of him on the computer and the log transcripts spilling out onto the surface.

"It appears that your security systems were better than I had thought," L sighed.

"This is my _home_ L," Light replied, sinking into a chair. "Why did you do it? This is all information you would have had access to quite freely if you had asked."

"I needed an unbiased viewpoint," L explained, "there was the possibility if I had asked you the information I had received would have been filtered, even if unintentionally. Considering the weight of the decision I had to make I did not want that."

"Can I assume you have made your decision then?" Light asked.

"Yes," L replied, "I want to help you."

"What?"

"I am not going to give you their names, I wouldn't do that to them despite how much I trust you" L said calmly, "By helping you, perhaps by becoming visible in some way, they will slow their activities or may try to contact me. I want to deal with them Light. Let me sort this out."

L didn't think Light could look more shocked than he did at that moment.

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	3. Chapter 3

May I advertise the works of my wonderful friend Dotti55, she has recently begun writing and her stories are well worth the read. I hope that you will take some time to go and read them.

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A/N; Well, it's been a while since I've updated this story huh. I can only apologise really, my muse went on holiday for a bit amongst other things that happened in my life, but as with Instrumentalities I think we can get up and running again.

I hope you are all still interested in reading this story, and I'd love to hear what you all think about it. So please read, and review!

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Chapter 3

"You would truly side with me?" Light whispered, standing and taking a few steps closer to L. His face shone with undisguised happiness and surprise, "You would choose me over everything else?"

"I did over two years ago, and now I find I want to join you completely," L replied, looking down at the tabletop with a defeated expression, "I can't even hold being Kira against you..."

"Oh L," Light sighed, and he shifted to lay a hand on L's hair briefly. "What do you want from all of this? Surely you didn't need to go through all this? All you had to do was say you didn't want to tell me, and then it need never have had to be brought up again."

"No... I had to a pick a side," L said, and he glanced up at Light, "It is more than certain they would have found out that I was here eventually. They would undoubtedly think I was here against my will and then I would be forced to give you their names... Because I would choose you over them, no matter how much it pains me to admit it. They're only doing this because of their memories of me as L."

Light nodded in understanding, he had known realistically that L would have to act in some way with this. He supposed he just hadn't wanted to reawaken the aspects of L that were so logical and so close to making L back into the enemy he had once had. He didn't think he could cope with having the man he loved suddenly turning against him once more; not after so long.

"I take it you have a plan," Light commented, leaning against the table his arms crossed.

"I want to be the one to chase after them and find them. I know how they think and how they are most likely to act. I can't think of anyone you could employ who would be better," L continued, "You told me you wouldn't kill them, and after all I have seen today I believe you on that. Though I was also wondering... Light, I need to be more visible. They need to know I side with you of my own free will, and I want them to change their focus away from you to wondering why I'm on your side."

"That's a very dangerous plan L," Light said after a moment's consideration, "You can't possibly know that they are as you remember them. It has been ten years since you could have last spoken to them."

"I know Light, Wammy's training was very thorough. I suspect it would have continued to operate just as it had before even once they thought I was dead. That you didn't know of this before they began to be a threat gives me great confidence that it was so," L explained, finally looking up at Light, "I'm just not sure how to become more public... "

For a moment there was silence between the two great genii. Then Light smiled and L froze in his seat. He knew that this could only mean his lover was going to suggest something he really wasn't going to like. Though L had to admit that it was unlikely he was ever going to like any plans to become public, and it was probably the main reason he hadn't come up with one already.

"I know of a way," Light murmured, reaching down with one gloved hand to cup L's cheek, "become one of my advisors. There have been so many times I would have valued your input, and I have a feeling I could always guarantee I'd get your honest opinion."

"..."

"You'd have the same standing as Mikami," Light continued, seemingly getting more enthused with the idea as he spoke, "So you wouldn't have to worry about him outranking you, and you will have access to resources that should be I hope equal to what you had before. So you could more easily track these people down as you would want to, while being better able to help me."

"You would trust me with this?" L said suddenly, "Trust that all that I've told you is the truth. No questions you're just going to trust me?"

"If you had wanted to work against me in any form you would have done so in the past two years, despite the promise I had you give me that day," Light explained, "You never did. Since then I think I've got to know you well enough to be able to trust you. In fact I think I've always shown I trust you or at least I have tried to, it is you who had to seek to trust me."

L looked away from Light then and stared down at the table once more, his gaze passing briefly over the documents and photos that lay strewn across them. He was surprised that the reply he had received was so frank. He also knew that light was right, he had always been trusted. Never had he had a guard present to restrict his movement in the past two years, always allowed to go where he wished. It had been himself entirely that had kept him from exploring the mansion where they lived further and meeting more of the people here. He had created his own walls and realising this made him feel so stupid. Even if he knew he had only done so because it helped him stay in his own world where he could forget the conflict he had once felt towards Light.

"Don't you ever worry though that my feelings for you are a form of Stockholm Syndrome?" L asked, turning to look back at his once captor. At the pained expression that appeared on Light's face he felt immediately guilty for bringing up such a painful topic. He had to know all the answers though, he didn't like being in the dark any longer. He couldn't keep that side of him repressed any longer and knowing precisely where Light stood on all these matters was important. The more he knew the less he would feel he was betraying himself.

"In the early days after your release I worried that was the case quite often," Light whispered, "I gave you so much free reign so that if you wanted to escape you could..."

He trailed off, obviously unable to continue where this conversation was heading, his darkened gaze fixed on a distant point on the wall behind L. His eyes turned to look at L once more though as one of the detective's hands covered his where it lay upon the table.

"I worried that it was the reason myself," L said calmly, realising that this would be the final 'act' in his joining Light because never in the past two years had he admitted how he truly felt about the man before him, "But it's not, at least I don't believe so. Light, I do love you. "

Deep inside his own mind Light pushed down the worry, the small niggling worry, that all this was being said to hide L's real plan. He believed L he could see in the dark eyes before him only conviction and he darted forward in his chair to place a kiss on the lips just below them, smiling as it was almost instantly returned.

"So, I'd have the same standing as Mikami would I?" L laughed as Light shifted away once more, "I like the sound of that."

The sudden dull expression of realisation that dawned on Light's face as he realised what he had done made L laugh even harder, a hand supporting his head up off the table he was laughing that hard. The advisor to the world stared at his partner in growing horror as his mind played out all the scenes that were in his future now he had put L next to the one person he liked to torment most in the whole world.

"He's never going to forgive me," Light whispered.

...

"Oi, Linda."

She frowned at the shout from below down the hole in which a ladder stood leading into the warehouse below her. As always she was annoyed that Mello was able to find her hiding places in the collection of rundown warehouses and factories. One of the few remaining places that were safe in this godforsaken world now Kira had risen to such power. She hated him for all he had cost her and for the way one man could have so much sway over the world. Just because things appeared to be getting better didn't mean that they always would. Power was corrupting, that was something L had always warned them about. So Kira had to be stopped if not for that reason, then simply because he was the reason L had died. There could be no greater symbol of impending evil than the removal of one of the greatest forces of good there had ever been.

"I hate you," she whispered, glaring out across the rooftops below her out towards the gleaming towers of the city beyond. It made her feel as though all the tarnished and imperfect things were being forced out of the world as Kira attempted to make it 'perfect'. It made her feel sick, and it made her wonder if it was going to start happening to the people too.

"What?" Mello said, his tone one of shock as he finally emerged onto the roof, almost leaping off the ladder to stand next to her.

"Oh, nothing," Linda sighed, turning to smile at her erstwhile friend.

"Ah, nothing being your usual hatred towards Kira," Mello commented with a smirk, "As if that's anything new."

"Oh, so you don't?"

"Wasn't saying that," Mello replied with a laugh, "I'm saving it up until I'm face to face with the bastard."

Linda said nothing; there was no real reply she could give to this she knew. Since the day they had heard of L's death there had been nothing more on Mello's mind than revenge and if Linda and Matt hadn't chased after him the day he had left Wammy's to do that... she knew he would have done something that would have gotten him killed by now. She knew her presence hadn't really been the factor that had brought him back, only Matt dissolving into tears at his feet had done the trick, the gamer holding onto the bottom of his legs and refusing to let go.

"What's up?" She asked at last, wondering what had brought Mello in search of her now.

"Matt thinks he might have found something. A potential way to crack into the network Kira has. He keeps complaining though apparently that thing is just too damn impenetrable," Mello said with another smirk, "If it wasn't for the fact Kira was behind it, I'd be impressed."

With those words Mello vanished back down the hole, sliding down the ladder to the bottom at such a speed that, had Linda not seen it before, she would have been scared for him. With a sigh she followed him at a more sedate pace.

"So what's the way in you found Matt?" she asked as she entered the small space they called home, the only place in the whole warehouse that didn't look as though it were about to fall down. She smiled as she saw Near crouched by the computer bank, looking rather put out about something and she wondered what Mello could have done in such a small space of time to upset him.

"It's not so much a way in... not really," Matt began, and at the laughing tone of his voice Linda began to worry. Her worry mounting as both Mello and Near turned calculating gazes in her direction.

"Well, it seems Kira is holding a recruiting drive," Matt continued, "So I was thinking, perhaps, one of us could join up..."

"Oh no," Linda said hurriedly as the looks she was receiving became steely, "You can't be serious. Not me..."

"Out of all of us you are the one most likely to pass personality tests," Near said calmly, "I doubt any of us can match Kira's exacting standards-"

"Tch," Mello grumbled, "When you said you had a way in I hadn't thought you meant something so stupid..."

"It is the only way," Near countered, "Anything else and we won't be able to reach Kira. Perhaps we could even work to our advantage."

"But what about me?" Linda whispered, she could see their logic yes, but she couldn't help feeling as though they were discussing throwing her in with the lions. "You _really_ can't be serious."


End file.
